1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of motor vehicles, and more particularly, to a device used to facilitate the removal and replacement of a suspension strut in a suspension strut assembly by employing means to compress the coiled springs of different sizes to release the tension of the coiled spring against the strut and enable the strut to be safely removed and replaced.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A preliminary patentability and novelty search conducted for the present invention found U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,982,730; D259,538; 4,541,614; 4,872,644; and, 4,516,303, which disclose the following:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,730. This reference is directed to a manually crank strut spring compressor. This compressor has an elongate hollow housing that receives a threaded rod member that is rotatably supported at each end of the housing and driven by a bevel gear arrangement. A pair of spring engaging plates are U-shaped with a large notch adapted to fit over the shaft of the strut. The U-shaped claws are angled to correspond to the slope of the strut's coil spring. One of the spring engaging plates is fixed to the housing and the other is fixed to a threaded block that rides on the threaded rod and slides within the body of the compressor.
2. U.S. Pat. No. D259,538. This reference is directed to the ornamental design for a spring compressing tool, as shown in FIGS. 1-4. The compressor has a hand crank and apparently a bevel gear arrangement to drive a threaded rod. One plate is fixed to the tubular body and the other plate apparently is driven by a threaded block. The spring engaging plates are angled to correspond to the slope of the spring being compressed.
3. U.S. Pat. No. 4,541,614. This reference is directed to a coil spring compressor that has a pair of clamping jaws that are generally horseshoe shaped and angled to be in conformity with the slope of the coil springs being compressed. One of the clamping jaws is fastened to the guiding tube and the other is fastened to a collar that engages a slide ring inside the guide tube that engages the threaded rod. The threaded rod has a hexagonal head provided on its lower end to be engaged by a driving means, such as a wrench.
4. U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,644. This reference is directed to a tool for compressing the coil spring of motor vehicle suspension struts. The body of the tool is a rack made from a hollow channel having bearings at either end to support a threaded bar. A block sized to be a close fit for the inside of the hollow channel has a threaded aperture to engage the threaded bar. A pair of spring engaging members in the form of angled arms is provided. One pair of arms is welded to one end of the hollow channel and another pair of arms is fitted to the block that rides inside the channel. Mounted on each of the arms are cleats shaped to insert between the grip of the coils of a spring. The threaded rod has a hand crank.
5. U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,303. This reference is directed to a spring compressor that can be utilized for compressing coil springs on strut suspension assemblies. The spring compressor has a pair of threaded guide shafts that are secured in a parallel arrangement between a top support and bottom support. Mounted on the pair of guide shafts is a gear drive assembly adapted to move along the threaded supports when its input shaft is rotated. A pair of spring engaging shoes are provided, one being secured to the top support and the other being secured to the gear drive assembly.
Also pertinent to the art are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,276,684; 4,909,480; 4,976,416; 5,172,889; 5,680,686; 6,129,339; and 6,616,126 B1.
An examination of the aforesaid patents discloses that the respective teachings are different in material respects from the structure and function of the present invention. In particular, but by no means the only difference between these other devices and the device of the present invention, is the unique ability of the structure of the present invention to accommodate strut coiled springs comprised of coils with different diameters.
Devices of all kinds have been used in the prior art to facilitate the safe removal of a motor vehicle suspension strut. Many of these devices, including those described in some of the above-cited references, are crude, clumsy, inefficient and/or extremely unsafe to use. Where a particular device may seem safe and effective, it generally lacks the element of portability or ease of use. Further, none of these devices provides the means to accommodate a suspension strut with coils of different sizes. For example, it is common knowledge in the automobile industry that the coils used with suspension struts for domestic vehicles are usually larger than the coils used with suspension struts for some, if not most, import models. Thus, what the prior art is lacking is a device that is easily portable, easy to operate and functions at a high degree of effectiveness to enable the user to achieve the intended objective, namely to safely remove a strut from the suspension strut assembly and maintain the compressed or tensioned coil spring safely in place while a replacement strut is installed. In addition, the prior art lacks a device that can accommodate suspension struts with coils having different diameters.
Accordingly, nothing in the prior art provides the device that is as capable, versatile, portable and accommodating as the device of the present invention, as taught in detail in the specification and defined in the appended claims.